Focusing on the Long-Term

Our job is to help our clients make smart choices about their money so they can accomplish their goals for the reasons that are important to them. When we get caught up in the day-to-day silliness of the market, it hinders our ability to make smart long-term decisions.

The biggest risk to achieving our goals is making bad choices when we're scared. We can be our own worst enemies. When the market is selling off, like it has been, the temptation to join in is palpable. But the smart thing to do is to buy. We invested money today for clients with cash on hand.

It's important to focus on what we control. Our clients' portfolios are designed for them to accomplish their long-term goals. Short-term volatility will not derail their long-term success. If the market is up 2% one day, or down 2% one day, or if the market is down 15% in 2016 (I'm not saying that it will be), our cients will still accomplish their long-term goals.

Life, and financial markets, go through seasons. It's human nature to project what is happening "right NOW" into perpetuity, but that's not how seasons work. Don't focus on the short-term and don't watch CNBC (financial pornography).